Since distilled water is so beneficial for your own health, it is common to think that it will be healthy for your pets too. This depends on the type of pets that you have. When it comes to fish, you will usually find that the only way to give them distilled water is if the water has minerals in it. Minerals can easily be added to distilled water, though.
Distilled Water can have Minerals through Remineralization
You will hear regularly that the distilled process removes all the minerals from water because it’s pure water, like nature intended. While this isn’t a problem at all for humans because Humans get almost all of their minerals from food (and humans get many benefits from distilled water), it is a problem for fish. Fish need these minerals; it is the only way they get them sometimes. However, Distilled water in combination with addition of mineral supplements in the water will create an almost perfect condition for most fish, this is because distilled water is free from impurities, and by adding minerals to distilled water, all you’re left with is pure water and minerals, which is as good as it can possibly get for Fish.
You shouldn’t use normal tap water. This is just as bad as using pure water without the minerals! Tap water is full of contaminants and impurities that will affect the fishes’ lives.
Using Distilled Water in a Fish Tank
The good news is that you can still use distilled water but you need to take a few extra steps to ensure the best water for your fishes. Distilled water doesn’t have the impurities, meaning that it is great, as long as the minerals are added for the fishes well being. There are products to do just that.
See our article “adding Minerals to Distilled Water is very EASY” and buy some very cheap supplements that are specifically for your fish tank or for human consumption. They also have good stuff made specifically for fish. These will be full of all the vitamins and minerals that your fishes need and can be easily added to any type of water (Including Reverse . The supplements will need to be added on a regular basis to keep it healthy for the pets. You can even use the supplements in saltwater tanks; although you will need much more.
Distilled water is excellent for a fish tank as long as you take some extra steps. The water doesn’t have the impurities but it doesn’t have the minerals either. Take a trip to the pet store or online store, you can stock up on supplements and allow your fishes to live in contaminant-free water that is full of minerals they need to thrive on.